Ten Thoughts on the NFL: Chicago Bears and beyond

1) There were 13 games played this week and nine of them were blowouts, which got me to thinking... As a fan would you prefer to watch your favorite team win in blowout fashion or win a nail-biter? And the flip side, when your team loses, would you rather they get destroyed whistle to whistle, or lose a heart-breaker in the waning seconds?

While I enjoy the excitement of a close game while I'm in the moment of watching, if it's my favorite team playing, I want a blow out. Give me a 46-10 win any day and it's much easier to let go of the disappointment of seeing my team lose when they get outright smoked.

2) Raise your hand if you predicted Lovie Smith would have his Tampa Bay Buccaneers ready to go against the Pittsburgh Steelers, just one week after they looked awful by losing 56-14 against the Falcons.

Pittsburgh looked great in week three when they dropped the Panthers 37-19, but they couldn't hold on in Tampa Bay against a Mike Glennon led offense. Glennon threw 2 TDs in their 27-24 win and the Pittsburgh running back duo that each went over 100 yards rushing last week, couldn't even muster 100 combined on the ground against the Bucs.

3) Speaking of that explosive Atlanta team, raise your hand if you had them losing to the Minnesota Vikings 41-28.

Viking rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater was the youngster grabbing all the headlines going into the game, but it was rookie running back Jerick McKinnon that put his stamp on the game by rushing for 135 yards on 18 carries.

4) Yeah, all the nice stuff I said about Kirk Cousins last week, you can forget about that.

5) Kyle Orton will start this week for the Buffalo Bills. I know it seems he's been around for a real long time, but he's only a couple months shy of his 32nd birthday. If Orton can right the Bills' ship, maybe he finds a long term home. And oh by the way, the Bills are in first place in the AFC East because...

6) The New England Patriots seem done.

If it is an end of an era, it was a hell of an run. In 15 years as New England's coach Bill Belichick has 228 regular season wins and a .724 winning percentage. He and quarterback Tom Brady have 5 AFC Championships and 3 Super Bowl rings together.

The Patriots haven't looked right all year, but you have to believe they'll figure out a way to stay in the playoff hunt. They always do.

7) In the Chiefs vs Pats game, Husain Abdullah was not penalized because he went to his knees to pray, he was penalized for sliding to his knees to pray. Here's the GIF.

Then again...

Abdullah should not have been penalized. Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons.

— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) September 30, 2014

As long as a celebration isn't directed at the opponent in a taunting manner, I say let them do what ever they want. It's a freaking NFL touchdown, it's a big deal.

8) At what point does the Oakland Raiders make a power play and spend some money on an actual NFL Head Coach? The recently fired Dennis Allen took over from Hue Jackson, who took over from Tom Cable, who replaced Lane Kiffin. All four of those guys were making their NFL head coaching debuts. They need an established NFL head coach, with a definitive plan and a track record of success.

9) Everyone believed that Steve Smith was going to torch his former team, then he went out there and caught 7 balls for 139 yards and two TDs against the Carolina Panthers. The 35 year old Smith, who the Panthers moved on from last off season, isn't just having a good season (3rd in the NFL in receiving yards), he's having an historic season.

.Ravens">@Ravens Steve Smith has 429 rec yards, most thru 1st 4 games of a season by a 35+ year old player

— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) September 28, 2014

10) It's been a very crazy season so far for fans of the Chicago Bears.

After the Bills game, many were ready to write off the season.

After the 49ers game, many Bears fans were firmly back on the bandwagon.

After the Jets game, it was NFC North title or bust.

After the Green Bay game, some fans are again ready to pack it in again.

Take a look around the NFL. If the results from these first four weeks aren't telling you that anything can happen, then you haven't been paying attention.

Yes, losing to the Packers really, really, really sucks, but there are 12 more games to play.